1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to laundry washing machines and in particular to laundry washing machines which include a horizontal load enclosing drum where access to the drum is provided through the side thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known that horizontal axis laundry washing machines have a lower water use in their standard operating mode than vertical axis washing machines in their standard operating mode. It is also well known that there are significant ergonomic advantages with a washing machine which is loaded from above. Attempts have been made to provide access to horizontal access laundry machine drums using a hatch in the top face of a cabinet and a corresponding hatch access through the drum of the machine. Machines of this type are well known for the difficulty to the user in revolving the fully laden drum to a position where the two hatches are in registration and due to the hazardous nature of the generally spring loaded hatch opening in the drum. Furthermore the provision of a hatch in the drum results in a significant reduction in the strength of the drum and a consequent reduction in the ultimate spin speed which can be safely achieved. A lower spin speed leaves more liquid in the clothes load and consequently increases the drying time, and if using a clothes dryer, power consumption.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a laundry machine and/or a drum for a laundry machine and/or associated methods of operation of a laundry machine which goes some way towards overcoming the above disadvantages or will at least provide the public with a useful choice.
In a first aspect the invention may broadly be said to consist in a laundry machine including:
a cabinet,
a drum mounted in said cabinet rotatable about at least a substantially horizontal axis, said drum including a substantially cylindrical skin, a pair of opposed ends, a cover section in said skin being slidable in a circumferential direction relative to the remainder of said skin to leave an opening into said drum, and
access means in said cabinet operable to an open position wherein access is available to said drum.
In a second aspect the invention may broadly be said to consist in a method of operating a horizontal axis laundry machine through a drum opening operation comprising rotating the drum until the drum skin is in a first set position relative to the machine cabinet, engaging a cover section of said drum skin to retain the position thereof relative to said cabinet while engaged, rotating said drum to a second set position with said cover section engaged to leave an opening into said drum, and at least allowing opening of said cabinet to provide access to said opening.
In a third aspect the invention may broadly be said to consist in A drum for a laundry machine including:
a pair of drum ends,
rigid connection means spanning between said drum ends to rigidly connect said drum ends one to the other, and
a substantially cylindrical drum skin which at least under tension has the effect of a continuous hoop,
inwardly opposed faces of said drum ends including a circumferential ledge with the edge of each longitudinal end of said skin retained either over or under said ledge.
In a fourth aspect the invention may broadly be said to consist in a laundry machine including a drum as above wherein the cabinet of said machine and said laterally sliding latching member include complementary engagement means which engage when said latch member is in a position that is disengaged with the hooks or loops of the drum main section.
In a fifth aspect the invention may broadly be said to consist in a laundry machine incorporating a control system adapted to perform the above method.
To those skilled in the art to which the invention relates, many changes in construction and widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. The disclosures and the descriptions herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be in any sense limiting.